15 Spice Blends We Can't Live Without

At Bon Appétit, we're all about making homemade spice mixes, but sometimes it's nice to have the work done for you. In times of need—aka when we're too lazy to do more than toss seasoned chicken into a pan with some vegetables—we turn to these pre-mixed spice blends. Sometimes it's warm spices for oatmeal, sometimes it's super-garlicky herb blends for meats, and other times it's just Lawry's (which we'd put on almost anything). Below are some of our absolute favorites.

"I'm super keen on the addition of rose petals in this harissa spice blend by NYSHUK. I reach for it when I want a pop of floral heat to perk things up. I also love it as a dusting for fried eggs or avocado toast, as a spice rub for roasted carrots or other sweet vegetables like squash and sweet potatoes, or to liven up lentils. I add it to soups, too, and it's interesting with cured salmon." —Alaina Sullivan, senior designer

"Curio Spice's Supeq Spice (seaweed, shiitake mushroom, ginger, nettle, and hot paprika) is good on almost everything. I use it on fish or on rice or other grains that get tossed into a salad. I also love their Aegean Salt (lemon, thyme, and mastic) on roasted vegetables." —Liesel Davis, recipe editor

Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Courtesy of McCormick & Company, Inc.

"Lawry’s Seasoned Salt is one of the world’s greatest inventions. If you want something a little higher brow, this Ariosto seasoning is also really great on chicken. Juniper and marjoram and bay leaf!" —Carla Lalli Music, food director

"I first learned about the versatility of Hawayej when it was served with a chocolate ice cream and banana dessert at Combina (RIP) in New York City. The Yemeni spice blend (with turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and other spices) lends extra warmth and depth to butternut squash, stews, and curries. But when I imagined myself sprinkling it on my morning yogurt and overnight oats, I snagged this La Boîte blend and never looked back." —Elyssa Goldberg, associate web editor

"In Ithaca, New York, I found my favorite all-purpose spice blend: F. Oliver's Seneca Seasoning. It is a vampire killer of dried garlic, shallots, scallions, onion, and chives with green peppercorns and salt. Thankfully I only need a pinch or two to season everything from soft-scrambled eggs to roast chicken." —Alyse Whitney, associate web editor

Wait I have one more: Épices de cru makes a hilariously fantastic ranch mix. Why I’m recommending this artisanal French company’s spice mix for ranch dressing is a mystery for mankind to unravel in years to come, but trust me right now: it’s incredible." —Alex Beggs, senior web editor

"I like the La Boîte à Epices Yagenbori blend, which was made with Eric Ripert. It has sesame seeds, orange peel, red chili flakes, and soy sauce powder. I love the umami depth and bright citrus pop that it brings to rice dishes (or just a bowl of rice) and simple seafood. It also hangs well with eggs. I also use the custom Winter Sugar blend (Japanese snow sugar, beet sugar, citrus peel, spices, and Tahitian vanilla bean) from Boulettes Larder on oatmeal." —Christine Muhlke, editor at large

"Kalustyans makes a truly excellent Vadouvan that I use all the time. It has big distinct pieces of garlic, onion, and curry leaves, and it’s so well balanced. It adds amazing flavor to roasted vegetables, chicken, and seafood." —Claire Saffitz, senior food editor

Harissa is a great shortcut ingredient to flavor, but no two jars (or tubes) are the same. Taste first—if it seems very spicy, use a bit less. You can always stir more into the chickpeas when the dish is finished.

“When I was getting married, I couldn’t think of a caterer I wanted to use,” says chef Naomi Pomeroy, Expatriate, Portland, OR, “and I didn’t want to ask my staff.” Her solution? Cook for her guests herself. She went with super-simple chicken, powered by a throw-together marinade.

Butter chicken was reportedly developed in the early 20th century in Delhi as a way to use leftover tandoori chicken so that the dried out chicken pieces can be softened with tomatoes, butter, and cream. Butter chicken is usually creamier, while chicken tikka masala, which was developed in the UK, tends to be spicier.

Central New York State is known for sandwiches stuffed with juicy skewered meat marinated in Italian dressing; these are tasty enough to serve straight up, but we wouldn’t stop you from putting them on soft Italian bread, either.